The Golden Goblet
Encyclopedia
The Golden Goblet is a children's historical novel by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
. It was first published in 1961 and received a Newbery Honor award in 1962. The novel is set in ancient Egypt around 1400 B.C., and tells the story of a young Egyptian boy named Ranofer who struggles to reveal a hideous crime and reshape his life.
's shop who has learned much about gold working. Gebu, his evil half brother, beats Ranofer. When the tallies of gold sweepings do not add up, Ranofer tries to figure out why. He determines that Ibni is smuggling gold to Gebu through wineskins that Ranofer unknowingly carries home. Ranofer tries to stop this, but Gebu forces him to continue, threatening to beat again and sell him into slavery. Ranofer makes two new friends, the Ancient and Heqet, but things take a turn for the worse when Gebu moves him to his stone cutting shop to be an apprentice after Ibni is caught.
With the help of his new friends, Ranofer discovers that someone else is stealing gold at night after getting suspicious again. After following this new person, they meet in a thicket near the river, share food, and talk about what they have heard.
Ranofer breaks into Gebu's room and discovers a golden goblet which could not come from the area. Ranofer realizes that Gebu has been tomb robbing by the markings at the bottom which say's the name of a pharaoh. Also with that evidence he realizes that no one can get as rich as Gebu was getting in one day which supports his theory. He asks the Ancient how tomb robbers are caught, and the Ancient replies, "They may be followed". Ranofer knows from Heqet's eavesdropping that Gebu will be going on another tomb robbing session during the upcoming feast. Ranofer follows Gebu to the burial chamber. Meanwhile, Heqet and the Ancient have also gone to the Valley of the Kings looking for Ranofer. Ranofer runs out of the grave after extinguishing the robbers' torch, and one of the giant steps crumbles, trapping Gebu and his companion Wenamon. Ranofer puts a boulder on top of the entrance, then finds Heqet and the Ancient, who seal the tomb while Ranofer returns to town.
He manages to get into the palace, and tries to get an audience with the queen but is delayed by Qa-nefer the queens assistant who doesn't believe his story and thinks he is crazy. After lots of persistence Ranofer finally gets an audience with the queen, who asks him what the object leaning against the tomb's north wall of the tomb was. Ranofer answers her father's oaken staff, and the queen immediately sends out soldiers, who catch Gebu. Finally, the queen asks what Ranofer wants most in the world. A donkey is the answer so that he may earn a living for himself like the Ancient. At the end, it shows him riding on his donkey with the goods earned from the queen with praise ringing from his ears to Heqet and the Ancient. While he is riding he is thinking about how the next day he will go see Zau the master and become his apprentice.
was robbed about 200 years before the time of the novel. The tomb of Yuya and Tuya was discovered in 1905. The tomb had been penetrated, but was mostly intact. The discoverer, James Quibell, assumed that the robbers might have been disturbed in their act, giving the novel an interesting historical backing.
was initiated in the year 1971.
In the 2000s, several schools in California included this book in their sixth grade curriculum, much to the chagrin of students and teachers who find the book extremely slow, filled with difficult vocabulary, or not child-appropriate because of whippings. Consequently, the book has been cited as an example of unpopular Newbery award winners.
Eloise McGraw
Eloise Jarvis McGraw was an author of children's books and young adult novels. She was awarded the Newbery Honor three times in three different decades, for her novels Moccasin Trail , The Golden Goblet , and The Moorchild...
. It was first published in 1961 and received a Newbery Honor award in 1962. The novel is set in ancient Egypt around 1400 B.C., and tells the story of a young Egyptian boy named Ranofer who struggles to reveal a hideous crime and reshape his life.
Plot summary
Ranofer is an orphaned 12-year-old porter at a goldsmithGoldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
's shop who has learned much about gold working. Gebu, his evil half brother, beats Ranofer. When the tallies of gold sweepings do not add up, Ranofer tries to figure out why. He determines that Ibni is smuggling gold to Gebu through wineskins that Ranofer unknowingly carries home. Ranofer tries to stop this, but Gebu forces him to continue, threatening to beat again and sell him into slavery. Ranofer makes two new friends, the Ancient and Heqet, but things take a turn for the worse when Gebu moves him to his stone cutting shop to be an apprentice after Ibni is caught.
With the help of his new friends, Ranofer discovers that someone else is stealing gold at night after getting suspicious again. After following this new person, they meet in a thicket near the river, share food, and talk about what they have heard.
Ranofer breaks into Gebu's room and discovers a golden goblet which could not come from the area. Ranofer realizes that Gebu has been tomb robbing by the markings at the bottom which say's the name of a pharaoh. Also with that evidence he realizes that no one can get as rich as Gebu was getting in one day which supports his theory. He asks the Ancient how tomb robbers are caught, and the Ancient replies, "They may be followed". Ranofer knows from Heqet's eavesdropping that Gebu will be going on another tomb robbing session during the upcoming feast. Ranofer follows Gebu to the burial chamber. Meanwhile, Heqet and the Ancient have also gone to the Valley of the Kings looking for Ranofer. Ranofer runs out of the grave after extinguishing the robbers' torch, and one of the giant steps crumbles, trapping Gebu and his companion Wenamon. Ranofer puts a boulder on top of the entrance, then finds Heqet and the Ancient, who seal the tomb while Ranofer returns to town.
He manages to get into the palace, and tries to get an audience with the queen but is delayed by Qa-nefer the queens assistant who doesn't believe his story and thinks he is crazy. After lots of persistence Ranofer finally gets an audience with the queen, who asks him what the object leaning against the tomb's north wall of the tomb was. Ranofer answers her father's oaken staff, and the queen immediately sends out soldiers, who catch Gebu. Finally, the queen asks what Ranofer wants most in the world. A donkey is the answer so that he may earn a living for himself like the Ancient. At the end, it shows him riding on his donkey with the goods earned from the queen with praise ringing from his ears to Heqet and the Ancient. While he is riding he is thinking about how the next day he will go see Zau the master and become his apprentice.
Characters in The Golden Goblet
- Ranofer – a young boy in the care of his new evil half-brother since his father's death, the main character.
- Gebu – Ranofer's mean half-brother, a stonecutterStonemasonryThe craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures...
by trade, who tries to rob the tomb of Queen Tiy's parents. He also steals gold from Rekh's gold shop. - Thutra – Ranofer's deceased father; he was a goldsmith and a friend of Zau.
- Heqet – an apprentice goldsmithGoldsmithA goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
who befriends Ranofer and 'The Ancient'. - The Ancient – a very old man who cuts papyrusPapyrusPapyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
for a modest living and lives on the edge of the desert - Rekh – a local goldsmith.
- Zau – a master goldsmith who works in the palace making ornaments.
- Ibni – a Babylonian who helps Gebu steal gold from Rekh's gold shop.
- Setma – a Nile boat captain, and a transporter of stolen artifacts for Gebu.
- Wenamon – a mason and Gebu's friend.
- Pai – the stonecutter's foreman.
- Queen Tiy – the queen, and daughter of Tuaa and Huaa. Sublime majesty, daughter of the sun (in ancient Egypt the pharaohs were called sun of god Ra. They were said to be reincarnated from the child of Ra).
- Zahotep – the first craftsman at Gebu's stonecutting shop.
- Sata – craftsman at gold shop.
- Qa-nefer – A dwarf who leads Ranofer to Queen Tiy's Throne Room.
- Tuaa and Huaa – father and mother of Queen Tiy
- Kai – a baker boy apprentice
Historical truth
Little is known about the lives of Egyptian artisans at the time, but some events can be traced. The grave of Thutmose the ConquerorThutmose III
Thutmose III was the sixth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. During the first twenty-two years of Thutmose's reign he was co-regent with his stepmother, Hatshepsut, who was named the pharaoh...
was robbed about 200 years before the time of the novel. The tomb of Yuya and Tuya was discovered in 1905. The tomb had been penetrated, but was mostly intact. The discoverer, James Quibell, assumed that the robbers might have been disturbed in their act, giving the novel an interesting historical backing.
Newbery Honor
The Golden Goblet was retroactively named a Newbery Honor book when the award for runners-up to the Newbery MedalNewbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
was initiated in the year 1971.
In the 2000s, several schools in California included this book in their sixth grade curriculum, much to the chagrin of students and teachers who find the book extremely slow, filled with difficult vocabulary, or not child-appropriate because of whippings. Consequently, the book has been cited as an example of unpopular Newbery award winners.
Further reading
- Teaching Through Texts: Promoting Literacy Through Popular and Literary Texts in the Primary Classroom by Holly Anderson
- 100 Top Picks For Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing The Right Curriculum And Approach For Your Child's Learning Style by Cathy Duffy